SAXON HARTLEPOOL Hartlepool began as a Saxon
settlement. The name Hartlepool is probably derived from the Saxon words Heorot
eg pol. Heorot is Saxon for hart. The word eg (pronounced 'ee') meant island
or peninsula and pol meant pool or bay. So it was the bay by the peninsula
with harts. About 640 AD a woman named Hieu founded a monastery on the site
of Hartlepool. Soon a fishing village grew up nearby. The Danes destroyed
the monastery in the 9th century but the village of Hartlepool continued through
the centuries. The village was first mentioned in the year 1153. By that time
Hartlepool had grown into a small but busy port.

HARTLEPOOL IN THE MIDDLE AGES In 1174 there
was a rebellion In England. Some 40 knights and 500 infantry were brought
from what is now Belgium to Hartlepool to help the rebel cause. However no
sooner had they landed than the Scots (who were allies of the rebels) were
defeated in battle. The foreign soldiers in Hartlepool returned to Belgium.
However during the Middle Ages Hartlepool grew in importance and in the late
12th century the Church of St Hilda was built. In 1201 King John gave Hartlepool
its first charter. (A charter was a document granting the townspeople certain
rights). The merchants of Hartlepool were given the same privileges as the
merchants of Newcastle. Hartlepool had a weekly market. (In those days there
were very few shops and if you wished to buy or sell anything normally you
had to go to a market).

Hartlepool also had an annual fair. In the
Middle Ages a fair was like a market but it was held only once a year for
a period of a few days. Fairs attracted buyers and sellers from a wide area.
In the 13th century Franciscan friars came to Hartlepool. The friars were
like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world they went out to preach.
Franciscan friars were called grey friars because of the colour of their costumes.
In the Middle Ages Hartlepool only had a population of only several hundred.
The town consisted of a few main streets (Southgate Street, St Marys Street,
St Helens Street) with some small alleys leading off them. To us Hartlepool
would seem tiny but towns were very small in those days. In the early 14th
century walls were built around Hartlepool but in 1315, before they were completed,
the Scots attacked and sacked the town. However Hartlepool recovered and in
the late 15th century a pier was built.

HARTLEPOOL 1500-1800 In 1569 the North of
England rose in rebellion. The rebels entered Hartlepool in December. However
they held the town for only a few days. As a royal army approached Hartlepool
the rebels fled. In 1642 came civil war between king and parliament. In January
1644 a Scottish army (on parliament's side) occupied Hartlepool. They remained
in the town until the beginning of 1647 when they were replaced by English
troops. In the 18th century Hartlepool lost its former importance and the
pier fell into a ruined state. In those days part of the staple diet of the
people was bread. In 1741 the price of corn rose to a very high level and
there were riots in Hartlepool. A generous corn merchant who agreed to sell
his corn at the old rate defused the situation.

HARTLEPOOL IN THE 19th CENTURY In 1810 part
of the old pier was destroyed by a storm. However the pier was rebuilt. After
1813 a toll was charged on ships using the port to maintain the pier. In 1808
the old harbour was enclosed and drained but after a court case in 1813 the
owner was forced to let the sea submerge it again. Hartlepool was still a
tiny town in the early 19th century. In 1831 it still had a population of
only 1,300. Hartlepool was no longer a busy port. Instead the people lived
by fishing. Hartlepool was also a seaside resort for the well off. Hartlepool
was transformed in the 1830s when new docks were built and a railway was laid
to the town. The new docks opened in 1835. The railway was completed in 1839.
The railway and the docks made it possible to export coal from the Durham
coalfield through Hartlepool. As a result Hartlepool boomed. By 1841 it had
a population of 5,236 and by 1851 it had reached 9,227.

Furthermore a new town called West Hartlepool
was created. It began when the owners of the railway and the owners of the
docks fell out. The owners of the railway decided to build their own docks
South West of the town. The new docks were ready in 1847. Almost immediately
a new town sprang up nearby. It was known as West Hartlepool. By the 1880s
West Hartlepool had overtaken the old town in size. Like all 19th century
towns Hartlepool was dirty and unsanitary. Like most towns Hartlepool suffered
outbreaks of cholera in the 19th century. An outbreak of cholera in Hartlepool
in 1832 killed 57 people. A second outbreak in 1849 killed 161 people. However
there were some improvements in Hartlepool during the 19th century. The first
bank In Hartlepool opened in 1833. From 1836 there was a gas supply (for gas
light). After 1849 Hartlepool had a piped water supply. Moreover, in the 19th
century the shipbuilding industry in Hartlepool boomed. There was also an
iron and steel industry in Hartlepool. But fishing continued in Hartlepool
as it had for centuries. Christ Church near the railway station was built
in 1854. A borough hall was built in 1866. From 1867 Hartlepool sent an MP
to parliament. A hospital was built at Throston in 1877. In 1870 a breakwater
was constructed to protect the north harbour. Ward Jackson Park opened in
1883. In 1889 a promenade was built along the sea front. For more information
about life in the 19th century click here.

HARTLEPOOL IN THE 20th CENTURY In 1901 Hartlepool
had a population of about 14,000 but West Hartlepool was twice that size.
In December 1915 3 German ships bombarded Hartlepool. The bombardment killed
128 people and injured over 400 others. A War Memorial was built in Hartlepool
in 1923. A new Borough Hall was built in 1926. The last shipyard in Hartlepool
closed in 1962. The town then tried to diversify industry. In the late 20th
century vacuum flasks were made in the Hartlepool. So were anchor chains and
parts for marine engines. Crankshafts and communications equipment was also
made in the town. There was also a chemical industry. In 1967 the two towns
of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool were finally joined under one council. Middleton
Grange shopping centre was opened in 1969 by Princess Anne. In the last years
of the 20th century Hartlepool underwent something of a renaissance. Tourism
became a major industry with the town making the most of its heritage. HMS
Trincomalee, a frigate built in 1817 was bought to Hartlepool in 1987 and
refurbishment it was opened to the public. At the end of the 20th century
strenuous efforts were made to 're-invent' Hartlepool. The Marina was redeveloped
in the 1990s. Summerhill Conservation Area was also created. Hartlepool Museum
opened in 1995. Hartlepool Art Gallery opened in 1996. A Business Development
Centre opened in Hartlepool in 1999. Today the population of Hartlepool is
92,000

Note: If you live in Hartlepool or have an
interest in the Town and would like to add anything to this page i.e. photographs
(must be your own not pirated from elsewhere) or any local information please
email it to me at dave.hodgson1@ntlworld.com and I will include it on this
page.